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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Hunting Developer: SCS Software Publisher: Mastiff |
There are a number of hunting games available to the gaming population and it seems that many of them are getting away from a
realistic hunting experience. Mastiff’s latest hunting title, “Deer Drive,” is more like a shooting gallery that happens to follow the normal
rules of deer hunting than a game based on creating a realistic hunting experience. The game offers players with nothing more than
aiming and pulling the trigger. There is a challenge to this game, but the challenge doesn’t make the game fun.
It is pretty obvious that this game is all about hunting, and has no story to lead players through to speak of. Players are offered the
option of hunting alone or competing with friends in either a Versus Mode or Hunting Party Mode. There is also an Options menu that
players can fiddle with. For those not used to the hunting genre, there is a tutorial to explain how to point the Wii Remote and press the
B button to shoot, that is if the tutorial is really necessary.
As stated before the game play of “Deer Drive” consists of point the Wii Remote at the screen and pressing the B button to pull the
trigger of the rifle in order of killing whatever animal the player is targeting. This is almost all the game expects of the play, though there
are a few othe control elements that need explaining. Players can also move their viewpoint around by aiming at the edges of the
screen. The game also gives players various power-ups to play with ranging from Breath Control to Polarized Glasses. There are also
different rifles, each of which fire faster and produce more desirable results than the default model, all of which make killing the animals
easier as they are earned. All of them do eventually run out after a time, making it imperative to use them to their full potential. Shooting
a deer is the main objective, though players are also rewarded and penalized for other things.
Players are able to shoot a single buck because this is the rule about hunting and shooting a doe gives players some penalties.
Players are also given bonus points for hitting vital spot on the deer, as well as trick shots. For example, hitting the deer in midair while
they are jumping is considered a trick shot. Also, there are other animals that show up in the field, some of which are fairly hostile and
will attack, while others of which are simply worth more points when they are killed, making them the primary targets whenever they are
spotted in the field.
The primary game play mode is the single player mode, which asks players to play through multiple stages, killing a set number of
animals in each one in order to progress to the next level. As players progress, they will be able to unlock more power-ups to use in
hunting trips and they will be able to save after each stage to come back to the trip whenever they like.
The versus mode of the game is more about competing with a friend to see who is able to kill the most animals in three rounds, as
both players compete at the same time to rack up the most kills. Hunting Party is probably the most multiplayer friendly of the two
multiplayer modes, but because it is a very competitive turn based mode that allows players to mess with their friends while they hunt, it
is easily the most fun mode. Essentially, players take turns shooting animals and the player with the highest score at the end of each
round goes first in the next round. Also, besides trying to shoot animals, players will also be aiming for a bulls eye on the hunting field,
as they will offer a nasty surprise on their opponents if they are able to hit them, such as making a deer head pop up on-screen to
impair the sight of the opponent or swap their controls, making them both a priority on the player’s turn and a disadvantage when they
are used against the player. As simple but enjoyable multiplayer modes are, they aren’t bad and it will keep gamers amused if they are
hunting fans.
In the end, “Deer Drive” ends up being a boils down to be a modern day version of the classic “Duck Hunt” game with a couple of
power-ups and multiplayer added and all of the personality taken away. For those that are fans of deer hunting, or players that like the
idea of pointing the Wii Remote at the screen and clicking the B button mindlessly for a few hours, they might as well have a little bit of
fun with the game because it does offer some basic deer hunting and mindless shooting action. For those who are looking for
something a little more sophisticated, this isn’t a game worth checking out because other than the Hunting Party mode, there isn’t
much to the game. The overall experience is boring, repetitive, uninteresting and flawed mechanically and it lacks any real personality
and depth. For players that are the sort of person who loves to shoot at thing, this may occupy a little bit of time, but this game will leave
hardcore hunters attempting to track down a great hunting game, hunting.
realistic hunting experience. Mastiff’s latest hunting title, “Deer Drive,” is more like a shooting gallery that happens to follow the normal
rules of deer hunting than a game based on creating a realistic hunting experience. The game offers players with nothing more than
aiming and pulling the trigger. There is a challenge to this game, but the challenge doesn’t make the game fun.
It is pretty obvious that this game is all about hunting, and has no story to lead players through to speak of. Players are offered the
option of hunting alone or competing with friends in either a Versus Mode or Hunting Party Mode. There is also an Options menu that
players can fiddle with. For those not used to the hunting genre, there is a tutorial to explain how to point the Wii Remote and press the
B button to shoot, that is if the tutorial is really necessary.
As stated before the game play of “Deer Drive” consists of point the Wii Remote at the screen and pressing the B button to pull the
trigger of the rifle in order of killing whatever animal the player is targeting. This is almost all the game expects of the play, though there
are a few othe control elements that need explaining. Players can also move their viewpoint around by aiming at the edges of the
screen. The game also gives players various power-ups to play with ranging from Breath Control to Polarized Glasses. There are also
different rifles, each of which fire faster and produce more desirable results than the default model, all of which make killing the animals
easier as they are earned. All of them do eventually run out after a time, making it imperative to use them to their full potential. Shooting
a deer is the main objective, though players are also rewarded and penalized for other things.
Players are able to shoot a single buck because this is the rule about hunting and shooting a doe gives players some penalties.
Players are also given bonus points for hitting vital spot on the deer, as well as trick shots. For example, hitting the deer in midair while
they are jumping is considered a trick shot. Also, there are other animals that show up in the field, some of which are fairly hostile and
will attack, while others of which are simply worth more points when they are killed, making them the primary targets whenever they are
spotted in the field.
The primary game play mode is the single player mode, which asks players to play through multiple stages, killing a set number of
animals in each one in order to progress to the next level. As players progress, they will be able to unlock more power-ups to use in
hunting trips and they will be able to save after each stage to come back to the trip whenever they like.
The versus mode of the game is more about competing with a friend to see who is able to kill the most animals in three rounds, as
both players compete at the same time to rack up the most kills. Hunting Party is probably the most multiplayer friendly of the two
multiplayer modes, but because it is a very competitive turn based mode that allows players to mess with their friends while they hunt, it
is easily the most fun mode. Essentially, players take turns shooting animals and the player with the highest score at the end of each
round goes first in the next round. Also, besides trying to shoot animals, players will also be aiming for a bulls eye on the hunting field,
as they will offer a nasty surprise on their opponents if they are able to hit them, such as making a deer head pop up on-screen to
impair the sight of the opponent or swap their controls, making them both a priority on the player’s turn and a disadvantage when they
are used against the player. As simple but enjoyable multiplayer modes are, they aren’t bad and it will keep gamers amused if they are
hunting fans.
In the end, “Deer Drive” ends up being a boils down to be a modern day version of the classic “Duck Hunt” game with a couple of
power-ups and multiplayer added and all of the personality taken away. For those that are fans of deer hunting, or players that like the
idea of pointing the Wii Remote at the screen and clicking the B button mindlessly for a few hours, they might as well have a little bit of
fun with the game because it does offer some basic deer hunting and mindless shooting action. For those who are looking for
something a little more sophisticated, this isn’t a game worth checking out because other than the Hunting Party mode, there isn’t
much to the game. The overall experience is boring, repetitive, uninteresting and flawed mechanically and it lacks any real personality
and depth. For players that are the sort of person who loves to shoot at thing, this may occupy a little bit of time, but this game will leave
hardcore hunters attempting to track down a great hunting game, hunting.
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